The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

. fas £ «TL . i Pa o% RYE ae | ------ SFE * Wig wv i A Y v LARS SCP SE BEY Ti 3, t A ; £ " 5.94 0% 1 : ROY PRA PEL | SLE der bg i reba RO er et dn a tis wands A hate A aid re hak 3 ' " hb x REIN ; ----- -- wh esa At wba bts tic ein Babbin a hemi adolie ib duiathoue aril buick blabhabisidubi Aidan . y Ti HR oe Selle mh iamblicadar edd 22 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Wednesday, Mar. 5, 1975 Port Perry leads the way We all need a sense of history ... of belonging * As ¢ ¢ J NRE wl, Sets fit SC RIM. - w, = oe Sar Apo Successful efforts in Port Perry to preserve the town- scape have been a result of excellent response and sup- port from the community, support that cuts across. a broad section of the public. "There's no snob appeal here," said historical society president Bill Brock. "We have the support of all kinds of people. From little old ladies, doctors and lawyers, old Port Perry types and newcomers to General Motors employees. Our sup- port is overall." Port Perry dissidence over the tearing down of the old Post Office on Queen Street, for example, saw hundreds of people sign a petition by John Gast opposing the move. It was. the petition, Mr. Brock things, that did the trick. Not 'only did Port Perry residents provide influence that changed the course of their. community, the activity here ignited fires in other communities in the province. "We took a lead- ing role in this kind of thing," said Mr. Brock. Why has it taken so long to recognize the need for pre- serving a bit of the past? "People tend to be a bit unimaginative," saids Mr. Brock. "During the Centen- nial year, everyone was involved in Canada's history. A year later, it was back to tearing everything down." But recognition of the need to preserve a bit of the past is gradually gaining support as big cities get bigger and the' pace of life continues to quicken. "We all"need a sense of background... of history," said Mr. Brock. "We need something familiar to hold on to. Itisa very real psychological need." Perhaps another problem is the time lag that separates larger communities from the small ones. The need for preservation may be evident in Toronto where so much has already been lost, but it could be years before that same attitude moves to the smaller community. It is that same phenom- enon, however, that can pro- vide the far-sighted community with an unique opportunity to learn from the large urban centre--the lag could become a breathing space to evaluate and prepare. Some of the blame rests on the shoulders of municipal leaders, thinks Mr. Brock, a fact that applies here just like it does elsewhere. Local councils have not shown any kind of leadership in this aspect of the community, said Mr. Brock, when it should be they who provide the initiative, example and decisions. In many cases, it is citizen groups that provide the initiative. Groups such as historical societies. In this area, for example, the society has been one of the most-active groups in their opposition to such destruct- ion in the community. When government wanted "to tear down the old post office and replace it with what Mr. Brock describes as one of their usual "match- boxes," the society was the catalyst in public opposition. Despite past successes, however, Mr. Brock doesn't dare be too optimistic. "Most people are neutral," he said. "They wait and see if the project is going to be successful before they sup- port it." That's why he considers the town hall project in its most crucial stage now. "Once we get it past the first year, through the first, initial steps, then we'll be alright." Pr